A So-So Dinner at Camino

Camino, the Oakland restaurant renowned for its gorgeous dining room—a former furniture shop transformed by wide communal tables and a crackling fireplace—got a mixed review from sundeck sue, who says her recent dinner there was “both great and not so much.”

Of the space, sundeck sue reports that it is “beautiful” but also “so noisy.” She adored the tequila drink she ordered, a concoction of lime, blood orange juice, chiles, and salt. The wood-fired oven brought some of the dishes close to perfection, including a nicely seasoned grilled crab and a roasted asparagus side dish with black trumpet mushrooms and curly endive.

However, the crab and kimchi soup, as well as the vegetables served on the side of the roasted lamb, were nearly too salty to eat. And the service was spotty and forgetful: Though the stack of Acme pain d’epi loaves seemed so close, they were still too far for the server to retrieve, even after repeated requests.

“Feels like they’re so close to terrific—but don’t quite get there,” she concludes.